Pilot John Peters and navigator John Nichol were shot down over Iraq at the start of the Gulf war in January 1991. The two RAF flight lieutenants were held prisoner for 47 days and their battered faces flashed across the world's television screens. John Peters, 32, joined the RAF in 1980 as a university cadet. Upon his release on 4th March 1991, John resumed his flying career, retiring from the RAF as a squadron leader in 2000. John Nichol, 30, joined the RAF in 1981, and served in the South Atlantic, Norway, Denmark and Kenya. He is the author of several highly acclaimed Second World War epics including Spitfire and Lancaster, both of which were Sunday Times bestsellers.